You can't have beautiful beaded jewelry without its main component - fabulous beads! I'm a bead lover from way back to the original "love beads" days. They have come a long way but their rich history is not forgotten at conference like The International Bead and Beadwork Conference in Istanbul, Turkey.

One of the conference speakers is Dr Juliette Leeb-du Toit who will present, Deciphering the Mysteries of Zulu Love Letters:

A discovery late in 2006 provides possibly the first known text on the intricate meanings associated with colour and other accoutrements in Zulu 'love letters' (also known as ucu).

The Zulu 'love letter' (ucu) has become one of the single most identifiable decorative Beadwork embellishments worn by Zulu traditionalists, and marketed widely by the tourist sector as a decipherable item that can be worn by Zulu and tourists alike. Made originally for a Zulu male by his female admirer (or for a female by her male suitor's female relatives), the ucu represents an item that is encoded with design and colour combinations (often geometric) that are said to be legible to either wearer or maker (or both).

To date 'love letters' were thought to convey messages of intent, ardour and availability.

However, IBBC presenter, Dr Juliette Leeb-du Toit argues that these assumptions (as well as notions about the format of the ucu) may be largely flawed!

Find out more about this interesting event and the various speakers that will present on the The International Bead and Beadwork Conference web site.